When you ask a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT for a local recommendation, it pulls information from across the web. If you want your business to be the one it suggests, you need to tap into your LLM visibility.

This guide breaks down five simple steps to improve your visibility in AI-generated results, helping you get your business on ChatGPT and other AI search platforms.

What is LLM visibility?

LLM visibility is your ability to see how AI assistants describe your brand when people ask questions. It shows whether you appear in AI answers, how you’re positioned, and what tone or details are used.

What is GEO?

GEO stands for generative engine optimization. It’s the practice of shaping your content and brand signals so AI systems understand and describe your company more accurately. 

What is AI SEO?

AI SEO is search engine optimization adapted for AI-powered search tools. It combines traditional SEO with strategies that help your content get surfaced, cited, or summarized in AI-generated answers. Instead of optimizing only for rankings, AI SEO considers how AI models interpret and present information.

How do LLM visibility, GEO, and AI SEO work together?

These three ideas are connected, but they’re not the same thing.

• LLM visibility shows you how AI assistants describe your brand. It’s the measurement layer. It tells you what AI is saying right now.

• GEO (generative engine optimization) is about influencing those AI answers. It focuses on shaping how your brand appears in AI-generated responses.

• AI SEO blends traditional SEO with AI-focused tactics. It helps your content stay visible in both search engines and AI-powered discovery tools.

In simple terms:

• LLM visibility = measure

• GEO = influence

• AI SEO = optimize across search and AI

Obviously, the first step is to actually show up in AI conversations. Once you do that, you can start to look at how you’re being described, what reasons AI gives for recommending you, how you’re positioned next to competitors

How do LLMs collect information about businesses?

To understand how LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and more get information, think of it as a system that processes nearly all public information on the internet. It doesn't "know" your business personally, but it can connect data points from various online sources.

These key sources likely include:

• Your business website: Your homepage, service pages, and contact details.

• Online directories: Google Business Profile, Yelp, and other industry listings.

• Review platforms: Customer feedback and your public responses.

• Social media profiles: Your official pages on platforms like Instagram or Facebook.

• News articles and blog posts: Any online content that mentions your business, including posts from your quarterly content plan.

When someone asks, “find a pediatric dentist in Austin,” the AI analyzes this data for relevance, trust, and consistency. Your goal is to make the signals about your business strong and clear. A consistent content plan is essential for this.

Your 5-step checklist for local business LLM visibility

Improving your local business AI visibility relies on strengthening your existing online foundation. The same practices that help customers find you in traditional search also help AI models recommend you. 

If you’re new to local SEO, check out our local SEO starter checklist first.

1. Clean up your local listings

You can’t directly submit your business to an AI the way you can on platforms like Google. Instead, you influence the public data that AI models learn from. 

To do this, make sure your business name, address, phone number, and hours are correct everywhere — Google Business Profile, Apple Maps, Yelp, industry directories. AI tools pull from these sources. If your details are inconsistent, your visibility drops.

2. Strengthen your reviews

AI assistants often summarize what customers say about you. Encourage happy customers to leave clear, specific reviews. The language they use can influence how AI describes your service, quality, and reputation.

3. Clarify what you actually do

Be very clear on your website about your services, specialties, and service area. If you’re a “family-owned HVAC company serving North Austin,” say that plainly. AI systems rely on straightforward, structured information.

4. Show up in trusted local sources

AI tools learn about your business from the wider web — local news sites, community blogs, business directories, partner pages, social posts, and more. The more consistent and credible your presence is across those sources, the easier it is for AI to understand and recommend your business.

That means showing up regularly with clear, helpful content. Publish blog posts about your services and local area. Share updates and tips on social media. Send newsletters that reinforce what you do and who you serve. When your message stays consistent across platforms, it strengthens your local authority and builds trust signals AI systems can recognize.

5. Check how AI describes you

Search your business in tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity. Ask questions your customers would ask. Are you included? Is the description accurate? If something’s wrong or outdated, trace it back to the source and fix it there.

It’s always a good idea to try testing this in an incognito window, as well as on your personal web browser, to see if the answers differ depending on the searcher.

What about Google SGE?

Google SGE (Search Generative Experience) is Google's AI-powered search that provides summary answers at the top of the results page. The question of Google SGE for business is critical.

The good news is you don’t need a completely separate plan for AI. The same five steps you’d use to improve local visibility — a complete Google Business Profile, consistent business details, strong reviews, and a clear, helpful website — also support AI visibility.

AI search engines rely on those same signals to decide which local businesses to mention and recommend. When your information is accurate and easy to understand, you make it easier for AI to include you in its answers.

Your path to LLM visibility is clear

Getting ready for AI search starts with getting the basics right. These five steps don’t just help you show up in tools like ChatGPT — they strengthen your overall digital presence so you’re easier to find, trust, and recommend.

Here’s your action plan:

1. Complete and optimize your Google Business Profile.

2. Keep your business details consistent across every directory.

3. Ask for reviews and respond to them.

4. Make your website clear, accurate, and easy to understand.

5. Publish helpful content about what you do and where you do it.

Need help with Step 5? Melora helps you create consistent, on-brand content automatically — from blog posts to social media posts to newsletters — so you can strengthen your visibility without adding more to your plate. Try Melora today and start building your LLM visibility.